Conventionally, various types of aircraft utilize actuators including, for example, to deploy nose, body, and/or wheel landing gear systems. Conventional actuator components are made of metallic materials and often comprise complex geometries and high strengths. However, these metallic components are typically heavy.
Substitution of metals by fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composites (PMC) is one way to reduce weight of landing gears or aircraft actuators. Among significant challenges is implementation of strong joints for load transfer from composite members to metallic parts. The composite rod elements are typically fabricated in the form of tubes or solid cylindrical elements and are capable of handling significant axial loads under both tension and compression.